Apache Kid Wilderness is a rugged protected area in the southern San Mateo Mountains of southwestern New Mexico, within the Magdalena Ranger District of Cibola National Forest. Designated by Congress in 1980, it encompasses steep canyons, high ridges, and peaks including West Blue Mountain. Its remoteness is reinforced by adjacent wild country, while dozens of miles of trails support backcountry recreation. The region’s history reaches from Paleoindian use thousands of years ago through long Apache presence, mining, and livestock trailing on the Beefsteak Trail. Its name is tied to frontier legend, though the fugitive killed on Blue Mountain in 1906 was apparently Massai, not the Apache Kid.